Quantitative indicator for syringes



QUANTITATIVE INDICATOR FOR SYRINGES Filed April 1'7, 1958 MAI/l8 M ALQuIsT A T TORNEYS United States Patent Ofifice 2,943,624 Patented July 5, 1960 Mavis M. Alquist, 1104 E. 15th St, Apt. 2

Minneapolis,

Filed Apr. 17, 1958, Ser. No. 729,205 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-218) My invention relates to improvements in hypodermic syringes and more particularly to novel volumetric measurmg means therefor.

A considerable number of blind people having ailments or diseases, such as diabetes, find it necessary to periodically give themselves hypodermic injections of insulin and the like. Obviously, with conventional equipment, it is not possible for such people to determine the volumetric dosage of the medicament being withdrawn from a sealed container and taken into the poderrnic syringe, during withdrawing of the plunger preparatory to injection, with accuracy.

The primary object of my invention is the provision of novel means whereby blind persons may with a great degree of accuracy determine the quantity of fluid medicament being withdrawn from a sealed container into the barrel of a hypodermic syringe during withdrawing movements of the plunger.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a device of the class described which is extremely inexpensive to produce and which is extremely easy for even a blind person to attach to the barrel of a conventional hypodermic syringe.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a device of the class above described which when attached to the barrel of a conventional syringe does not add materially to the weight thereof and does not in any way interfere with the ease of operation thereof.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a device of the class described which is rugged and durable in construction and which may be readily slidably moved from an inoperative retracted position in side by side relationship to the barrel, to an operative position wherein same projects generally axially outwardly from the open end of the barrel.

The above and still further objects of my invention will become apparent from the following detailed specification, appended claims and attached drawings.

Referring to the drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a view of a conventional syringe having my novel measuring device attached thereto but in an inoperative position, some parts being broken away and some parts shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a view corresponding to Fig. l, but showing a different position of some of the parts thereof, some parts being broken away and some parts shown in section; and

Fig. 3 is a view in transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring with greater particularity to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the barrel of a conventional hypodermic syringe having a needle 2 at one end and an open opposite end, preferably and as shown formed to provide a radially outwardly projecting flange or head 3. The exterior surface of the barrel 1, preferably formed from glass or other transparent material, is provided with longitudinally spaced graduations indicating volumetric barrel of the hymeasurements. Thus, the numbered lines 4 indicate cubic centimeters and the closely spaced lines 5 therebetween indicate tenths of a cubic centimeter. A cylindrical plunger 6 is adapted to be received in the open end of the barrel 1, said plunger 6 being provided at its outer end with a diametrically enlarged head 7, preferably and as shown formed to provide a tapering marginal edge portion 8. Preferably and as shown, it will be noted that the head 7 of the plunger 6 is axially outwardly spaced from the beaded open end 3 of thebarrel 1 when the inner end 9 of the plunger 6 is in engagement with the bottom 10 of the barrel 1.

My novel measuring attachment comprises a clamping band 11, preferably and as shown particularly in Fig. 3 as being of the split type, which frictionally slidably engages the exterior of the barrel 1. The band 11 is adapted to be inserted onto the barrel 1 over the needle 2 and is slideable thereon from the retracted inoperative position of Fig. 1 to the operative position of Fig. 2 wherein the band 11 is in engagement with a stop element 12, shown as being in the nature of an independent split band which, in turn, is shown as having abutting relationship with the bead 3 on the open end of the barrel 1.

Rigidly carried by and preferably and as shown formed integrally with the clamping band 11 is an elongated metering bar 13 which is laterally spaced from and generally parallel to the plane of the adjacent exterior surface of the barrel 1 in all positions of movement. As shown, the inner edge 14 of the metering bar 13 is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced notches 15, the spacing between which corresponds to the spacing between two of the lines 5 on the exterior surface of the barrel 1, or in other words to one-fifth of a cubic centimeter.

It will be noted that the configuration of the tapered marginal edge portion 8 of the plunger 6 is such as to be nestingly received within the notches 15. Furthermore, the location of the stop element 12 and the positioning of the notches 15 is such that when the clamping band 11 is in engagement with the stop element 12 and the inner end 9 of the plunger 6 is in engagement with the bottom 10 of the barrel 1, the marginal edge 8 is nestingly received within the innermost notch 15a. Thereafter, when the needle 2 is inserted into a bottle of liquid medicament, not shown, the operator, by feeling the vibrations as well as hearing the sound created as the marginal edge 8 is progressively received within the spaced notches 15 (during withdrawing movements of the plunger 6), is accurately informed as to the quantity of the medicament being withdrawn from the bottle into the barrel 1.

Therefore, it is obvious that my novel measuring device may be helpful not only for persons who have lost their sight but also for those who have lost their sight and hearing, for the number of notches 15 into which the marginal edge 8 is received as the plunger 6 is pulled outwardly with respect to the notch 15;: can be determined by the operator either by vibrations or sound. Obviously, the resilience of the clamping band 11 facilitates passage of the marginal edge 8 into the several notches 15.

My invention has been thoroughly tested and found to be completely satisfactory for the accomplishment of the above objects and while I have shown a preferred embodiment thereof, I wish it to be specifically understood that same is capable of modification without departure from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, an open ended barrel, a cooperating plunger Working through the open end of said barrel and having a diametrically enlarged circular head on its outer end which defines a circumfercntially extended tapered marginal edge portion, said barrel having a plurality of longitudinally spaced volumetric graduations thereon and having stop means adjacent its open end, a clamping band element frictionally slidably mounted on said barrel, an elongated metering bar elementca'rried by said clamping band element in generally spaced parallel relation to said barrel and extending longitudinally outwardly fromthe open end thereof when said clamping band element is in engagement'with said stop means, said bar element defining a plurality of spaced notches corresponding in spacing to the spacing between given ones of said graduations on said barrel, said notches being so oriented on said bar element that when said clamping band element is moved 4 into engagement with said stop means and said plunger is in engagement with the bottom of said barrel the peripheral edge portion of said head is received within one of the innermost of said notches.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 in which one of said elements is resilient whereby to permit progressive reception of said peripheral edge portion in said notches during axially outward movement of said plunger.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES 'FATENTS' 1,466,043 Graham Aug. 28, 1923 

